


An Unintended Matchmaking

by Amuly



Category: Marvel 616, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Armor Kink, Avengers Vol. 3 (1998), First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gossip, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Matchmaking, Misunderstandings, iron man vol 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-17
Updated: 2014-11-17
Packaged: 2018-02-25 17:17:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2629907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amuly/pseuds/Amuly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Authorized sequel to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/2623070">An Unintended Morning</a> by the amazing author <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/users/vassalady/pseuds/vassalady">vassalady</a> (Steve bangs one of Tony's armors, Jan sees him going at it, assumes he and Tony are hooking up).</p><p>Wherein Jan confronts Tony about what she <i>thought</i> she saw in his lab yesterday, and inadvertently winds up playing matchmaker.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Unintended Matchmaking

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vassalady](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vassalady/gifts).



“So, you and Steve...” was how Jan started it.

Tony and Jan were in the kitchen of the mansion, two late-starters getting their late starts over two cups of coffee and some breakfast. Jan was eating a few pieces of fruit but mostly celery, while Tony was pounding his way through his egg white omelet and not staring longingly at the pile of bagels and muffins that some of the other more noticeably super-human members of his team got to eat. At least Jan was like him in having to watch her figure the old-fashioned way.

When Jan didn't say another word, Tony realized she was waiting on him. He shook himself as he took another sip of his coffee, sleep-deprived brain struggling to catch up. “Sorry, what? Me and Steve what?”

Jan wasn't looking at him. Tony narrowed his eyes. _Why_ wasn't Jan looking at him?

“You know. _You_ and _Steve_.”

Tony waited, but again, Jan added nothing to her sentence. He held out his hands, at a loss to what she was getting at. “Me and Steve... what? Me and Steve are teammates, friends, partners-”

Jan squeaked, hands slapping down on the table. “So it's true!”

Tony's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “What's true?”

“ _You_ and _Steve_.”

It was too early for this. It didn't matter that it was nearly nine: it was too early for this. Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don't know what you're getting at, Jan. Maybe I need more coffee. Or maybe you need more coffee. Either way, more coffee's probably the answer.”

Jan sighed dramatically as Tony collected their mugs and went over to the Keurig to prepare them both fresh cups. As the machine growled and hissed, Tony turned around to examine Jan again. She was watching him just the same, perfectly-manicured nails drumming against the marble counter top. They were black and yellow checkered, her nails. Cute.

Jan broke the stand-off first. “ _Speaking_ of more coffee: where exactly _were_ you yesterday? We had a date.”

Tony shook his head as he switched out the coffee mugs. “I know, I'm sorry. I told you: I got held up in a board meeting. Damn thing was supposed to end before lunch but the other board members weren't reassured by my charm, I guess. Or maybe they were _too_ charmed because they insisted we order in and work through lunch.”

“Uh-huh.” Jan didn't seem convinced at all. In fact, she seemed downright disbelieving of Tony. Like he was lying to her. Wait, what? _Why_?

Tony raised his eyebrows at Jan. “I'm telling the truth, you know. Why wouldn't I be?”

Jan studied her nails intently.

“Wait, seriously: why _wouldn't_ I be?”

“Oooooo, okay! I saw you and Steve in the lab, okay?! I went looking for you and _you didn't lock the door_ so I can _hardly_ be blamed, I just saw for a _second_ , promise I didn't stay to look-”

“Wait wait wait wait, hold up.” Tony waved his arms in front of him. “Saw _what_? I wasn't in my lab yesterday. Well, not until about one am this morning.”

Jan rolled her eyes. “Jig's up, Tony. I _saw you two_.”

“Saw us _what_? Saw me and Cap?”

“Yes!”

“Doing _what_ , exactly?”

“Screwing each other's brains out!”

It was a good thing Tony hadn't picked up either of the mugs, because he would have dropped them right then. As it was, his jaw dropped hard enough that he was surprised he didn't break _it_. His mind recovered faster than his expression, luckily enough. What could Jan be talking about? A skrull impostor? A doppelganger? Maybe just someone who looked like him from behind: Simon or maybe Stephen Strange?

Whoever Jan saw Steve knocking-boots with aside, the second question this whole mess raised: why exactly was Steve getting his rocks off in Tony's lab?

“Jan, you need to tell me _exactly_ what you saw. I wasn't in the lab yesterday morning, I _swear_. So whoever you saw... doing... _that_ , with Steve: it wasn't me.”

Jan's hand flew to her mouth. “Well it wasn't a _person_ : it was one of your armors. Oh no, Tony: is it Ultron? Or maybe the Mandarin or Hammer? Who else could control your armor like that? Unless-” she winced. “Oh, unless it was War Machine, oh no, Tony, I'm so sorry-”

"Wait, wait." With a growl of frustration, Tony picked up both mugs and set them in front of Jan with a _thump_! Jan winced. Tony leaned in, patience just about shot. "Start from the beginning. Someone was fucking Steve in my _armor_?"

Eventually, Tony pulled up the lab security footage from yesterday. Jan pretended to look away as he rewound and fast-forwarded  until he got to the right part. On the holographic screen in font of him, Steve entered his lab, calling out his name. Looking for him then, not a surprise. It was when Steve approached the armor in the back, the special project Tony had been working on for him, that everything suddenly became clear. He snapped off the footage when the armor twitched and Steve jumped back. He got the idea. No need to watch the footage... at least, not with Jan here.

"The armor was empty," he told Jan, figuring he ought to explain some of what she had seen. At least to keep her from running around trying to figure out who was sticking it to Cap.

"It was... _ahem_... _moving_..." Jan told him.

Tony shook his head. "I know. It's a new design I whipped up for Steve: the armor responds to his thoughts and his alone. Without seeing the rest of the footage, I can guess he figured that out and didn't want to pass up the opportunity." Tony grinned, smile a little crooked. "Gotta say, didn't thing the boy scout had it in him."

Jan smacked Tony's arm. "You know as well as I do that Steve is _hardly_ Mr. Good-Golly Gee-Shucks in bed that your PR machine portrays him as."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I _don't_ know. And I didn't think you did, either." He leaned in close, waggling his eyebrows. "Got a secret to share with me, Ms. van Dyne?"

Jan snorted, steepling both hands over her mouth to hide her un-ladylike laughter. "No, oh gracious, I _wish_. I mean, not _really._ Not with all the complications. But without any of the history, without us being team members... I doubt anyone would pass up the chance," she sighed.

Tony couldn't honestly disagree with her there. Pinnacle of human perfection and all that. He'd never asked, but Tony had always suspected the serum affected Steve's performance more places than just the steady rings in the gym. Hot on the heels of that thought, though, was another, more pressing one: "Wait, why were you apologizing when you thought it was Rhodey?" Tony asked, faintly incredulous.

Jan's eyes went wide at that, and her mouth screwed up like she was trying to keep herself from speaking anymore. "Nothing?" she settled on.

Tony leveled a flat look at her. "'Nothing?'"

Jan waved her hands in front of her, fingers fluttering until they flitted across Tony's forearms forlornly. "Nothing, nothing! Really, Tony, I'm sure you would have been _fine_ with it-"

"Why _wouldn't_ I have been fine with it?" This whole conversation was spinning Tony's head every which-way. He grabbed a hold of his coffee mug and gulped at it.

Jan bit her plump ruby-red lip, glancing this way and that.

Frustrated, Tony reached forward and grabbed Jan's arm. "Jan, you don't think I'm a homophobe, do you? That I'd _care_ if Steve or Rhodey were... You _know_ I'm not like that. Hell, two of those kid-Avengers running around are boyfriends, so I hear. Not to mention turning a blind eye to whatever the hell Xavier's been up to with Magneto all these years. Jan, I've been funding lobbyists to get the gay marriage ban overturned in New York!"

Jan shook her fists together, obviously just as frustrated as Tony with the conversation. " _Oooh_ , okay, _fine_! I don't think you're a homophobe, damn it! I thought you had a _crush_ on Steve and was going to be absolutely _destroyed_ if he was doing the nasty with Rhodey!"

Tony blinked. Took a step back. Took another, much larger, step back. His brain felt like it was rebooting, processors stuck in a cycling loop trying to parse what Jan had just said. His heart felt... _gone_ , tunneled out through his stomach to someone deep in Mole-Man's territory. Tony forced himself to take a breath.

"I... no."

Oh, no. Jan was looking at him like... Like she was _pitying_ him? Like his world had just ended and it was all her fault. But, he wasn't. It hadn't. Because he wasn't. It wasn't true. He didn't. _Cap_ wasn't. And he wasn't, and he didn't.

"No," he said again. It was the only word he could make his mouth say, at this moment.

Jan's fingernails clacked against each other as she flicked them worriedly. "Oh, sure, Tony. I'm... sure. It was just a silly thought. I mean, I figured it was _you_ in the armor first of all, so my mind was just... running that direction! Even though you weren't. It's... I meant nothing, you know. Just a stupid idea thanks to my adventure yesterday. Doesn't _mean_ anything. Don't take it seriously."

Tony took another step back from her, shaking his head like he was trying to clear the dust out of an old NES cartridge. "Right. Yeah. You thought we were, and you just... got stuck thinking that."

" _Exactly_."

"But we're not. Either of us."

"Of _course_ not."

"Not that there's anything wrong with that."

" _Nothing_ at all!"

Tony licked his lips. Then he forced a smile on his face, though he knew Jan could see straight through his fakey press-junket smile. "Well, you know what this means?"

Jan's face fell, panic skittering across her features. "No?"

Tony took her hand and kissed it lightly. "I get to mess with Steve. And you know how much I love doing _that_."

Jan huffed, nerves not quite leaving her expression. "Right. Sure! I'm sure it'll be great. Tell me exactly what shade of red he turns: maybe I'll make a fall line out of it, or something."

Tony laughed with her, the sound of their fake laughter filling the kitchen.

* * *

Tony found Steve later that day where he usually could be found: in the gym, practicing against whatever new fighting simulation Tony had built in his latest fever-dream. This time it was some sort of tuck-and-roll ball: hard to hit with the shield thanks to its spinning round surface. Steve was grinning as he worked to take it down.

Tony waited off to the side, knowing Steve had noted his arrival and would be with him when he felt like it. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, watching as Steve jumped and ran and flung his shield like only Captain America could. His bot lasted longer against Steve than he thought it would, but not very long, in the end. Steve wiped sweat from his forehead as he stood over the desiccated remains of the bot, hand outstretched as he caught his shield off one last rebound. He turned to Tony with any easy grin.

"What's up, Tony?"

Tony clapped a little, nodding at the destroyed robot. "A stellar performance. Destroyed my robot masterfully."

Steve snorted and gave a little sardonic bow. Tony's mouth fought hard against the overwhelming grin. Steve wasn't going to be so cool and collected for much longer.

" _Speaking_ of robots I've made..." he started as Steve straightened and set the shield down off to the side. "A-plus use of the armor, I approve wholeheartedly. You know, _I'm_ always saying how sexy my feats of engineering are, but I never really thought _you'd_ be one to appreciate them."

Steve's entire body turned red. At least, every inch of skin Tony could see on him: face, ears, neck, the little dip at the base of his throat between his collarbones. Tony grinned as he waited for the poor guy's hands to turn lobster-red as embarrassment warred with anger.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he tried.

"Oh, you don't? Yesterday morning, in my lab, one little pretty armor tucked away in the back-"

"I thought I heard someone- You should have said something!" Steve finally stumbled out.

Tony grinned. This was going to be even more fun than he'd hoped. "Jan saw you, actually-"

" _Jan_?!" That was definitely the highest Tony had ever heard Steve's voice go.

"-and she told _me_ , thinking it was _me_ in the armor 'raising your flagpole,' so to speak."

Steve looked like a hot water heater come to life. This was amazing. Tony should have tried to catch Steve doing kinky sex things _years_ ago.

And not for the reason _Jan_ seemed to think.

"It responded to my thoughts," Steve explained.

Tony nodded. "Yeah, serious note: so that's a new armor I designed for you! Just for use if I'm not there or if you need a secondary back-up or can't get out there physically or something. Not-serious note: so did it perform pretty well on its maiden voyage?"

Steve continued to flush bright red as he growled and rubbed the back of his neck. Thank goodness for that Irish skin of his: Tony was having the time of his life.

Tony leaned forward and got into Steve's personal space, determined to send that blush up one more notch. "You know, if you were harboring a crush on my armors all these years, I could have obliged you. Worked something up with self-controlled armor, or even gotten in the suit myself to help you out." Tony breathed in as Steve exhaled, then capped his statement off with a wink.

He was expecting Steve to blush, or growl at him about harassment, or laugh him off and shove him aside. He _wasn't_ expecting Steve to swoop in and kiss his face right off.

Which, oh shit, Steve was kissing Tony's face right off. Tony's hands were stuck straight out at his sides, suspended in midair and no clue what to do. Did he kiss back? Did he grab Steve? Did he pull him closer or shove him away? Oh holy hell, _Captain America_ was slipping his _tongue_ into his _mouth_.

Tony's panic was overridden when Steve grabbed him by his arms and shoved him back against the nearest wall. When Steve's thigh shoved between Tony's legs, Tony realized he had started to kiss Steve back, and, oh, alright then, apparently he was hard.

This whole thing felt like the conversation this morning with Jan, with events developing far too fast for Tony to adequately process them. Reluctantly (whoa, _reluctantly?_ ) Tony pushed Steve away, putting an inch or two of space between them. Or at least between their lips. Tony blinked, trying to focus around the fact that he was kinda straddling Steve's thigh (holy _hell_ he was straddling _Steve's_ thigh).

"Sorry. Too fast?" Steve asked. And oh, damn: his voice sounded husky, deep. Soft too, like he was trying to be gentle in spite of all his supersoldier strength. It sent a jolt of arousal through Tony too sharp to be ignored.

So apparently he _was_ down for this. Alright then, that was all he needed to know.

"Sorry, no, no," Tony reassured him. Their breaths ghosted across each other, ships in the night. Tony looked into Steve's heavy-lidded blue eyes and felt something click into place. Oh. Yeah. Okay, then. "Would you laugh if I admitted I was about five steps behind?"

"You're supposed to be the futurist," Steve murmured at him. His nose rubbed against Tony's cheek, lips a whispering memory passing over his skin. Tony trembled.

"I know."

"All caught up now?" Steve asked, tilting his head the other direction. Their noses bumped, Steve's lips just barely slipping over the top of Tony's. Tony ached.

"You waited too long: now I'm five steps ahead," Tony told him. With a gesture he cut the lights to the gym and locked the doors. The _clang_ of the locks was clear through the quiet. He felt Steve grin against him.

"Not that far ahead, mister," he told him. It was a clear challenge.

And boy, did Tony love challenges.

* * *

The quiet murmur of conversation in the five star restaurant surrounded Tony and Jan as their waiter delivered their orders to the table. Tony sliced off a piece of his salmon, examining it for perfect pinkness. It was, of course, cooked masterfully. He and Jan both smiled at the waiter and nodded him away as they set about their meals.

"You look... relaxed," Jan commented as she sipped at her sparkling cider.

Tony hummed, avoiding her eyes. "Just finished a big project for Stark Solutions. Must be that weight off my shoulders you noticed."

The _look_ Jan gave him told him she didn't believe him for even half a second. Tony couldn't imagine why not.

"You have a supersoldier-shaped hickey on your neck. And jaw. And behind your left ear."

As Tony reached up instinctively to cover the spots, Jan reached out and snagged his arm, tugging back the white shirt sleeve. There were faint purple bruises around his wrists, which _probably_ might match up exactly to a certain Avenger's hand print. She raised her perfectly-plucked eyebrows sky-high as she stared at Tony. He almost wanted to point out the wrinkles her forehead made when she did that, out of spite. But he probably should be _thanking_ her, so he stayed quiet.

" _Tony_..."

"Alright, alright!" Tony snatched his hand back, tugging his sleeve down self-consciously. He wondered if he should pop his collar or if it would look too conspicuous. Or douchey. Jan was looking at him expectantly. Tony sighed. "I went to get some color swatches of that patented Steve Rogers blush, like you requested. And... I'm not about to tell you the rest. You already got more of an eyeful than you deserve."

Jan squealed and knocked her fists against the table, heels clacking under the table as she kicked her legs. "I _knew_ it!! I knew it I knew it! You have to tell me everything! How did it happen, who made the first move, how _was_ he, did he cook you breakfast in bed because I _swear_ I have this _fantasy_ -"

Tony waggled his finger at Jan. " _Nothing_ , you hear me? You already got to see Steve _in flagrante delicto_. That's more than _any_ _one_ deserves. You're not getting a single bit more."

Jan pouted mightily, arms crossed under her sweatheart neckline. " _Ugh_ , no _fun_."

"But I do want to ask... how'd you know?"

Jan's eyes narrowed, a _plan_ clearly forming behind those big blues. "Trade you," she told Tony.

He sighed. He figured he'd have to do as much. "Fine. One piece of info from me in exchange for one from you."

Jan grinned. "Deal. You first."

Tony shook his head. "No: you've got the advantage. You first."

"If I have the advantage then I should get to say who goes first," Jan grumbled. "But _fine_. How'd I know? Besides the fact that have you _seen_ how you two act together? I think I first figured it out back when you and I were going to try dating."

Tony winced. "Uh, wow. Ouch. Was I _that_ bad of a date?"

Jan laughed. "No, no. But remember how _angry_ Steve was about it? How he pretty much immediately put his foot down between us?"

Tony grubbed his goatee. "Well, yeah. But he was right. I was dating you without you knowing my secret identity, like a week after you and Hank split... it was a crummy situation all around, and I was a crummy guy for even going for it."

Jan waved his self-flagellation away. "No you weren't. But didn't Steve's anger seem... kinda personal? At first I thought he had a crush on _me_ , that he was upset you beat him to the punch. But then I started watching him, and I knew he didn't feel that way. I'm very well-practiced in knowing when I have a man's attention, after all. And I definitely didn't have Steve's. The more I watched him, the more I realized where his attention _was_ focused, and, well..." she gestured at Tony. Then she grinned. "Okay, I did mine! Now you!"

Tony frowned. He wasn't convinced Steve had been interested in him for all those years. If so, they had a _lot_ of making up to do. And he was more interested in hearing why exactly Jan thought _he_ was gay--or bi--when he himself didn't know it until he found himself grinding up against Steve in the gym. But he dropped it. "Okay, fine. Tit for tat: Steve made the first move."

Jan's eyes widened and her mouth fell open as she listened. When Tony stopped talking and stayed stopped, Jan's face fell. "Damn it," she grumbled, poking at her salad. Tony grinned.

"I answered one of your questions, didn't I?"

Petulantly Jan spoke around a mouthful of kale: "Guess I'll just have to get the security footage if you won't share."

"Guess who already deleted the security footage," Tony told her as he sliced off a piece of his salmon with the side of his fork.

Jan's world-class pout had Tony smiling the rest of the night. And when they parted ways at the Mansion, maybe he let her catch a glimpse of Steve scooping Tony up in a welcome-home kiss. It was only fair recompense for playing the accidental matchmaker, after all.


End file.
